Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOPE) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $147.66, but opened at $140.22. Grand Canyon Education shares last traded at $146.2680, with a volume of 68,784 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Grand Canyon Education from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Grand Canyon Education from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barrington Research set a $200.00 price target on Grand Canyon Education in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $100.00 price target on Grand Canyon Education in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Grand Canyon Education presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.67.

Grand Canyon Education Stock Down 0.2%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $146.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.57. The firm has a market cap of $3.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57.

Grand Canyon Education (NASDAQ:LOPE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.14. Grand Canyon Education had a return on equity of 36.62% and a net margin of 19.63%.The business had revenue of $264.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $261.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. Grand Canyon Education’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will post 10.24 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grand Canyon Education

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new position in Grand Canyon Education during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Grand Canyon Education by 70.7% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its position in shares of Grand Canyon Education by 48.9% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 195 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Grand Canyon Education during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Grand Canyon Education Company Profile

Grand Canyon Education, Inc provides a suite of higher‐education services through a long-term agreement with Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the nation’s largest private Christian universities. The company’s offerings encompass a full range of academic and operational support functions, including enrollment management, student recruitment, curriculum development, instructional delivery, and technology infrastructure. Through its online program management capabilities, Grand Canyon Education helps design, market and deliver undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to meet the needs of both traditional and non‐traditional learners.

Core services include digital marketing, admissions support, student success coaching, learning management systems and faculty recruitment.